He also lived long enough to see his final album, "The Wind", be released and succeed.
Zevon lived to see the birth of his twin grandsons and accomplished his goal of staying alive long enough to see the next " James Bond" movie come out, " Die Another Day". When asked by Letterman his thoughts on life and death he replied, " Enjoy every sandwich." He thanked Letterman for all of his help and after his performance gave him his guitar that he had always used on the show, saying, " Here, I want you to have this, take good care of it."
He performed a series of songs and spoke about his illness. October 30, 2002, Zevon was the featured and only guest on the Late Show with David Letterman where he played his final performance. In typical Warren Zevon style, he refused treatment and instead began work on his final album, " The Wind "
In 2002 after feeling continuously ill he was persuaded to see a doctor who diagnosed him with inoperable cancer. Throughout his life Zevon described a phobia of doctors, and admitted he had rarely seen a physician.
He frequented the role of guest band leader on the Late Show with David Letterman. He was best known for his covers of famous songs, and for writing songs with themes of history and politics. His biggest mainstream hit was, " Werewolves of London ". Warren Zevon will go down in rock history as a great musician, but few people are familiar with his work. After much thought I decided to write about a song which can literally be considered this artist's " Swan song." At first I thought, " what would my swan song be?" I mean initially I thought I'd choose a favorite by Bob Dylan or Tom Petty. The idea of a " Swan song" was so beautiful to me that I had to figure out a way to incorporate it into my blog. In society today a " Swan song" refers to, " a final theatrical or dramatic appearance, or any final work or accomplishment." The performer realizes it's their last performance so they give it their everything. According to an ancient legend the " Mute Swan ” spends it's whole lifetime completely silent, until the moment before it dies, when it sings a beautiful song. I am a huge fan of myths, folklore and legends so I was ridiculously intrigued by the concept of a " Swan song".